Who Discovered Scoliosis?

Scoliosis, an abnormal condition of the spine showing a lateral curvature, was discovered by Hippocrates. He provided ancient Greeks various forms of remedies for the condition.

Classification

• In one of his books, he classified spine conditions into five groups: kyphosis, scoliosis, concussion, dislocations and fractures.

Hippocratic Ladder

• This method of reducing scoliosis was done with the use of a ladder. The patient was tied to a ladder and underwent succusion, which means "shaking." This allowed the patient's body to exert strength and force, which helped in straightening the spine.

Hippocratic Board

• This method was done with the patient's spine held firmly on a wooden board and pressure was applied to the problem area. At times it even required the doctor to stand on the patient's back.

Hippocratic Bench

• This method was done with the patient lying on a bench, a rope tied around his arms, feet and waist. The process was to pull the rope apart to help straighten the problem area.

Other Forms of Treatment

• Throughout his study on spine conditions, Hippocrates had thought of many ways to cure such problems, including transabdominal correction and the use of leather sacks filled with air, but these did not succeed.

Trivia

• Although Hippocrates coined the term "scoliosis" and devised methods to treat spine problems, it was only in 1510 that French surgeon Ambroise Pare made a very specific description and diagnosis to this condition.